Sunday, February 12, 2012

Whitney Houston has died at age 48, her publicist confirmed on Feb. 11.

Although the cause of death has not been revealed, Jill Fritzo, a publicist of Whitney’s, told HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY that she had passed away, saying, “unfortunately, true.”

Houston died at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and l employees, tell TMZ .com … Whitney Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her room. As of 1 am set Feb 12, Houston’s body was still at the hotel, police sources confirmed to Hollywoodlife.com.

Sources say there were no obvious signs of foul play, but BHPD detectives have launched a full investigation. L.A. County Coroner Ed Winter tells HollywoodLife.com that it is too early in the investigation to tell what happened.

Whitney was one of the best-selling pop artists of all time, with over 55 million records sold in the United States alone. Furthermore, she had great success acting, with star-making turns in films such as the smash hit The Bodyguard , and Waiting To Exhale.

She was also known for her tumultuous relationship with her ex-husband Bobby Brown. Upon hearing of Whitney death, Bobby immediately began calling friends and family.

“He wanted to tell everyone about it before it hit the news,” one of his relatives told PEOPLE magazine. “He didn’t want any of us to hear about it on television.”

As Brown spoke to family members, the shock of Houston’s sudden death turned to grief. “He could hardly get the words out when he called me,” says the relative. “He was sobbing, and by the end of the call, I was sobbing too. He’s beside himself right now.”

Brown learned the news about his ex-wife while in Memphis, where he is currently on location for a New Edition concert. He is “shattered and beyond devastated,” says the source.

CNN spoke to Johnny Gill who is in Memphis with Bobby Brown for a New Edition concert. He told them: “Bobby is struggling and devastated” at hearing that Whitney has died. He has apparently spoken to their daughter Bobbi Kristina, 18, who Hollywoodlife.com has learned was with Whitney in Los Angeles and was “not doing well” Brown said.

Houston’s passing was confirmed by her publicist, and Beverly Hills Police Lieut. Mark Rosen said on Saturday, Feb 11, that the 48-year-old singer “was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. this afternoon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel,” following a 3:43 p.m. call from hotel security.

The best-selling pop artist wed soul crooner Bobby Brown in 1992 in a marriage that surprised many, given Brown’s bad-boy reputation. The following year, the couple welcomed a daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

After a tumultuous relationship that included a charge of domestic abuse against Brown in 1993, the two divorced in 2007.

Despite their breakup, the couple remained friendly, a relative of Bobby Brown’s tells HollywoodLife.com, ”They had Bobbi Kristina in common, and were determined to be co-parents to her. They didn’t hate each other. In fact, there was a lot of respect. So this has hit Bobby really hard. He is devastated. He loved her very much. This is a very sad time for him.”

She leaves behind a daughter, Bobbi Kristina.The last time Houston was seen publicly was at a pre-Grammys party, Feb. 9, where she sang , ‘Jesus, Loves You”.

Her professional mentor Clive Davis did not cancel his annual pre-Grammys party held at the Beverly Hilton – the same hotel where Whitney died- in Los Angeles tonight although a source tells Hollywoodlife.com that he did not attend. He has said: ”Whitney had one of the best voices of all time!” But guests at the party told Hollywoodlife.com that it was more like a funeral, than a party.

Several celebrities tweeted about the death shortly after the news went public, including Justin Bieber who wrote, “Just heard the news. so crazy. One of the GREATEST VOICES EVER just passed. RIP Whitney Houston. My prayers go out to her friends and family I am sadden to hear of the passing of Whitney Houston today…”

Miley Cyrus tweeted, “I LOVE Whitney : ( I’m not turning my tv on. just gonna stay @ home & listen 2 her records.Mariah Carey expressed her condolences over a series of tweets, saying, “Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston. My heartfelt condolences to Whitney’s family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.”

Her husband, Nick Cannon, wrote, “‘To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord’ RIP to Whitney Houston a true queen.”

Aretha Franklin said, “I just can’t talk about it now. It’s so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn’t believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen. My heart goes out to Cissy (Houston’s mother), her daughter Bobbi Kris, her family and Bobby (Brown).”

Dolly Parton, who wrote “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney’s greatest hit song, said, “mine is only one of the millions of hearts broken over the death of Whitney Houston. I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, ‘Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed.’”

Quincy Jones, said he was “absolutely heartbroken…She was a true original and a talent beyond compare.”

Actress Nina Dobrev also tweeted, writing, “#iwillalwaysloveyou is one of the most beautiful and iconic songs. It will be remembered forever. Rest in peace Whitney Houston.”

President of the Recording Academy Neil Portnow released a statement saying, “Six-time Grammy winner Whitney Houston was one of the world’s greatest pop singers of all time who leaves behind a robust musical soundtrack spanning the past three decades. Her powerful voice graced many memorable and award-winning songs. A light has been dimmed in our music community today, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, fans and all who have been touched by her beautiful voice.”

We will miss Whitney’s talent, which she displayed in amazing songs like “I Will Always Love You.”

Just in…according to TMZ, Beverly Hills police have sealed off the room where Whitney Houston died and will not enter until they obtain a search warrant . The police want to conduct a thorough search of the hotel room, but are exercising caution by getting a warrant. We’re told one thing police are interested in is whether drugs are present in the room. Although police could seize items in plain view, we’re told they want a top-to-bottom search of the room.

Whitney Houston sweats profusely and appears dishevelled as she leaves the Tru Hollywood nightclub on Thursday night. She partied with a large group of friends before 'clashing' with security guards, right, then being driven away to her hotel, where she died yesterday afternoon